One-time use cameras, making use of conventional photographic film, are becoming increasingly popular. A customer purchases the camera, exposes the film in the camera and returns the entire camera to a processing centre to have the exposed film processed. As far as the customer is concerned, the camera is, in that sense, a disposable camera. At the processing centre, the film is removed from the camera in darkroom conditions and is processed. The camera casing and remaining parts are, where possible, recycled.
We have also proposed the use of printing technology in a digital camera for more upmarket cameras and, in this regard, reference is made to our co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 09/113,060 filed Jul. 10, 1998 and entitled “Digital instant printing camera with image processing capability”, the contents of which are specifically incorporated herein by reference.
The type of camera proposed in Ser. No. 09/113,060 is, as indicated, directed at the higher end of the market to compete with existing digital cameras.
We have also proposed, in our co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 09/113,102 filed Jul. 10, 1998 and entitled “A low cost disposable digital instant printing camera”, the contents of which are also specifically incorporated herein by reference, a low cost, one-time use digital camera.
While it is believed that this low-cost camera, on its own, is of considerable commercial value, due to the high quality and instant printing of images which can be obtained, a camera exchange system and method are contemplated so that the camera of our co-pending application Ser. No. 09/113,102 can compete in price with existing disposable, photographic film cameras.